Newport Jazz Festival History

Newport Jawn: A Conversation with Christian McBride (Part Two)

We continue our conversation with Christian McBride by discussing his thoughts on the connection between music and sports, his work…

3 years ago

Newport Jawn: A Conversation with Christian McBride (Part One)

From its founding in 1954 until 2019, the Newport Jazz Festival had been canceled only once, for a single year…

3 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter XV: Passing the Torch, 2009-2016

For most music festivals, the loss of a longtime sponsor could be a death knell.  After all, organizers killed the…

3 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter XIV: Destinations, 2005-2009

With the success of the 50th Anniversary event, Festival Productions Inc. quickly began work on the 2005 Festival. Like the…

3 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter XIII: Echoes of the Past, 2004

An intense and unceasing downpour left a twenty-eight-year-old George Wein with the difficult question of whether to abruptly cancel his…

3 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter XII: Expansion, 1995-2003

In the four decades since the Newport Jazz festival first took place in 1954, it became a global brand with…

3 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter XI: Futures, 1990-1994

The 1990s was a period of change. The geopolitical order in place for nearly half a century ended with the…

4 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter X: Smooth Sailing?, 1984-1989

Created in 1927, The Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan, Limited - more commonly known as Japan Victor Company (JVC)…

4 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter IX: Homecoming, 1981-1983

“We’re Back” announced the front page of The Providence Journal, complete with a photo of a smiling George Wein, upon…

4 years ago

A History of the Newport Jazz Festival – Chapter VIII: Fortress in the Wings, 1972-1980

After the destructive summer of 1971, George Wein wanted to keep the legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival alive but…

4 years ago